Quenneville scores 3 goals in preseason win against Austin

Corpus Christi put on an impressive display in its home preseason
debut, cruising to a 5-2 victory over the Austin Ice Bats on Sunday
afternoon in the Caller-Times Best of the Best Shootout at the American
Bank Center.

After staggering through an abysmal 2005-06 season, the Rayz
provided a much different look on Sunday. They finished their checks,
moved the puck through the middle of the ice successfully and put on a
strong defensive showing.

"We have a lot of guys who think defense first," said goaltender
Brent Zelenewich, who faced only 18 shots. "We've got a solid defense
corps there, and I'm real impressed with the quality of this team. This
year's team compared to last year is like night and day."

While Rayz coach Ken McRae conceded his team played a tired opponent
- Austin played its fourth game in as many days - he acknowledged he
liked what he saw from the players battling for a spot on the 18-man
roster for Saturday's season opener against Laredo.

TODAYS GAME

Opponent:

Bossier-Shreveport Mudbugs

When:

1 p.m.

Where:

American Bank Center

Radio:

None

Tickets:

Free

Season opener:

Saturday vs. Laredo

"I've seen some great work ethic and some good speed," McRae said.

"I thought we were quicker (in Saturday's 4-3 overtime loss at
Austin). In these two games, I've seen a couple guys push themselves
even higher. You want to see some guys rise up and separate from the
pack, and we've seen some guys play some pretty good hockey the last
couple nights.

"Austin was a tired hockey club, and I appreciate the fact they came
down and played us after all that happened with Rio Grande Valley
(dropping out). They were tired, but we limited their chances and
limited their shots and did a decent job on the penalty kill. It's not
only an exhibition game to a lot of those guys out there because
they're competing for jobs."

Newcomer Justin Quenneville paced the Rayz' attack with a hat trick.
His goals ranged from redirection at the top of the crease to a nifty
short-handed tally where he shed an Austin defender on the wing and
stickhandled his way to a highlight-reel goal.

"Ken has really pushed us this week in practice to finish every
shift but most importantly, to communicate," Quenneville said. "That's
something we did (in this game), talk a lot on the ice. That helps
everyone, supporting everyone and being there for each other.

"Our veterans have done a good job of keeping everyone (close-knit)
and it's a loose locker room. The guys get along well and that's
important."

Rookies Connor Hughes and Adam Powell added the Rayz' other goals.
At the other end, Zelenewich didn't face a huge volume of shots, but
made several quality saves, including a sliding stop across the crease
during an Austin power play late in the first period.

The Rayz' preseason game at Rio Grande Valley scheduled for Tuesday
night was canceled because of the Killer Bees' ongoing depth crunch
caused by immigration issues.

However, all was not lost as the Rayz added a game against
Bossier-Shreveport. The teams will play at 1 p.m. today at the American
Bank Center, with free admission for fans. That game will be the Rayz'
preseason finale before Saturday's season opener against Laredo.

HAPPY RETURNS

For Rayz forwards Jason Baird and Blair Stayzer, Sunday's game was a
long time coming. It marked Baird's first game since last Oct. 30, when
he suffered a severe knee injury that required season-ending surgery,
and Stayzer's first game since Dec. 1, when his forearm was cut by a
skate blade and he was lost for the season.

While the offensive-minded Baird didn't put up any points, he
pummeled Austin's Chris Affinati during a second-period fight before
leaving the game for precautionary reasons after suffering a minor
injury.

"I didn't really want to fight, but it was there and he kept coming
after me," said Baird, who received a rousing ovation during the
pregame introductions. "I guess you could say it was a full year of
frustration (coming out)."

Meanwhile, Stayzer chipped in two assists and had a solid all-around
game, even making a nifty pickpocket move to steal the puck from an
Austin player while backchecking.

"It's been a long time," Stayzer said. "It's good to get out in
traffic again and start banging and hacking and whacking. It feels
good."

PAIN IN THE GLASS

While the Rayz didn't face much in the way of problems with the Ice
Bats, the same couldn't be said for American Bank Center personnel, who
got more ice time than they desired after some breakdowns around the
rink.

Stanchions between panes of glass popped loose twice in the first
period, with the second instance coming only seven seconds after the
first delay. Then during the first intermission, a pane of glass behind
the Rayz' bench fell out. The second period was delay-free, but another
stanchion popped out with 5:29 to play.